1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input device, and more particularly to an input device which is capable of communicating with a non-contact IC card.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been established a technology for non-contact transmission of data to and from IC cards (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-151750). The technology has been employed for various non-contact IC cards, typically the Edy (registered trademark) card having an electronic money payment function and the Suica (registered trademark) card that functions as a commuter pass or a ticket for trains. There are also known cellular phone units incorporating an IC chip similar to an IC chip contained in non-contact IC cards. Such a cellular phone unit of this type will hereinafter be referred to as a device equivalent to a non-contact IC card.
Some personal computers and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) have a reader/writer compatible with non-contact IC cards. The reader/writer is used for the user to confirm information recorded in a non-contact IC card, representing the balance of a prepaid amount of money or the record of uses, or to use an electronic money payment function to pay for something bought in mail-order shopping via the Internet. There is also a reader/writer compatible with non-contact IC cards which is externally connected to a personal computer by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable.